US Senate passes resolution to end military support for Saudi-led war in Yemen

The US Senate voted to pass a resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The measure passed with 54 for and 46 against.

The resolution, which is co-sponsored by US Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), among others, seeks to end any and all US involvement in the Saudi-led conflict, including providing targeting support for Saudi airstrikes in the war-torn country. It is now expected to be voted on in the US House of Representatives.

The measure was put to vote under the War Powers Act, which allows the resolution to be fast-tracked through US Congress. Should it manage to successfully pass through both the Senate and the House, it would be the first time that lawmakers have tapped on the act to cease US military involvement in a foreign conflict.

US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently told Washington-based publication The Hill that the vote could be “tight,” but that the measure would be able to gain the required amount of vote to pass. However, the White House has stated that if the resolution were to land on US President Donald Trump’s desk, he would veto it.

A similar measure was introduced in the US House in February, however, as The Hill reports, it “ran into a procedural roadblock” when it got to the US Senate, and was not able to be voted on in a manner that would allow it to pass with a simple majority vote, which in the Senate requires a total of 51 yeas.

The US, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, quietly began supporting the Saudi-led coalition in 2016, providing it with intelligence, weapons sales and air refueling support for planes operated by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. However, in recent months Washington’s support has been tested on account of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.